xavier hardin arrest

xavier hardin arrest

Your back yard good evening.

I'm veronica jean seltzer.

And i'm tom kenny.

Lexington police say they've arrested the man accused of shooting and killing a 17- year-old last night at fayette mall.

That is our top story tonight at 11.

Xavier hardin...a 19-year-old...faces charges for murder and assault.

Full mug:killed in mall shooting lexington kenneth wayne bottoms kenneth wayne bottoms.png cion townsend.jpg <none> <none> police say hardin got in a fight with kenneth wayne bottoms, junior...shooting and killing him near the bath and body works in the mall...and hurting two innocent shoppers in the process.

Full mug:2 arrested in fatal shooting at mall lexington nasir lyons cion townsend nasir lyons.jpg cion townsend.jpg <none> <none> two other teens have also been arrested in the case...charged with tampering with evidence.

Police say nasir lyons and cion townsend... both 18...were with kenneth wayne bottoms, jr. when he got shot...and took items off his body.

Court documents say when townsend was arrested at the mall...he was carrying two phones bottoms owned.

Bottoms junior is the fourth teenager to die from gun violence in less than two weeks in lexington.

Abc 36's christy bollinger was at the mall today as it reopened for the first time since the shooting.

Shoppers she spoke with seemed to have the same question.... why is this happening so often?

### take christy: there was a common theme with shoppers i spoke to.

Gun violence has to stop.

"i think it's senseless."

It's the question the community can't stop asking..

In the midst of another apparently senseless act of violence..

Why are kids shooting kids?

"i mean it's a travesty ya know hearing about all these young people getting shot ya know we gotta live our lives we can't keep getting taken out so young."

The coroner says 17-year-old kenneth bottoms junior died in sunday's shooting at fayette mall.

Police say it came after a dispute between bottoms, the shooter and some other people..

One witness told us punches were thrown, and then the shooter shot the victim in the head... she tells us she heard four different shots.

Bottoms died later at the hospital.

Police say two other victims.... a 41 year old man and 17 year old girl.... suffered non-life threatening injuries.

Police believe they were just caught in the crossfire.

Less than 24 hours later, shoppers returned to the mall..

But they couldn't believe it.

"for something like this to happen, it's just really sad."

"i mean stray bullets they've got no names on em they hit whatever they're going for they go straight they don't turn."

Kenneth baker was at the mall when the chaos began...shoppers running out the mall, screaming..

The mall on lockdown..

Hundreds being evacuated.

"i heard two girls running in the parking lot screaming, active shooter, active shooter."

Police say it wasn't an active shooter situation nor was it random.

They believe bottoms and the shooter knew each other.

Scary nonetheless.

"this gun violence stuff has to stop."

Take vo: christy bollinger abc 36 news.

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